Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif Tuesday warned that enduring peace and stability would not be possible without uprooting the menace of corruption.

“Ongoing war against terrorism and extremism being fought with the backing of entire nation cannot bring enduring peace and stability unless the menace of corruption is uprooted,” he said while addressing the military officers at Signal Regimental Centre in Kohat.

The army chief underlined the need for an across-the-board accountability to ‘ensure the solidarity, integrity and prosperity of Pakistan’.

General Raheel Sharif vowed to support ‘every meaningful effort in that direction which would ensure a better future for our next generations’.

The comments from the army chief generated a heated debate as the ruling family is desperately defending its position after Panama leaks and the opposition parties are demanding an independent inquiry commission under the chief justice of Pakistan.

While majority people hailed the army chief’s statement, few expressed their skepticism saying every institution must work within the constitutional scope of its respective mandate.

The statement also coincided with the return of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from London, where he underwent ‘medical treatment.’ The prime minister repeatedly denied any wrongdoing by him or any of his family members as insinuated in Panama leaks.

Sources told Daily Times that top military brass was rather perturbed at government’s inaction against corruption and nepotism. It is generally believed among military circles that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was being pressurized not to take old cases against Sharif family to their logical conclusion.

The statement from the chief of army staff was not without context, observed a source. The military establishment is wary of lack of implementation on the National Action Plan (NAP) by the political elite and civil administration.